The Monday Night Wars Redux Is Over

The Monday Night Wars Redux Is Over

10:30 AM   Monday Night War, TNA, WWE,

And Vince won. On last night's TNA iMPACT!, it was announced that TNA will be moving back to Thursdays with taped episodes of iMPACT! airing from 9PM to 11PM starting May 13th (i.e. next week).

AKA Vince won.

No matter what kind of spin they try to put on it, TNA lost. RAW could do low 3s, and TNA would do 0.5s. It just didn't work. They tried to compete - they brought in RVD, Mr. Anderson and others, and while they did great - WCW Lite just didn't have enough to beat Vince on an even playing field.

The question now is: will they improve on Thursday nights? Can they pull consistent 1s and 2s in their "preferred" timeslot? Only time will tell.

Or maybe not. Maybe the ship is going to capsize. Keep watching. Continue Reading

The Monday Night Wars Redux (5/03/2010)

The Monday Night Wars Redux (5/03/2010)

8:03 PM   Monday Night War, RAW, Streams, TNA, WWE,

TNA iMPACT! (8PM - 10PM)


WWE Monday Night RAW (9PM - 11PM)
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The Monday Night Wars Redux (4/26/2010)

The Monday Night Wars Redux (4/26/2010)

7:22 PM   Monday Night War, RAW, Streams, TNA, WWE,

TNA iMPACT! (8PM - 10PM)


Monday Night RAW (8PM - 11PM - Draft Special)
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The Monday Night Wars Redux (4/19/2010)

The Monday Night Wars Redux (4/19/2010)

7:50 PM   Monday Night War, RAW, Streams, TNA, WWE,

TNA iMPACT! (8PM - 10PM)


WWE Monday Night RAW (9PM - 11PM)
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The Monday Night Wars Redux (4/12/2010)

The Monday Night Wars Redux (4/12/2010)

7:02 PM   Monday Night War, RAW, Streams, TNA, WWE,

TNA Reaction (7PM - 8PM) x TNA iMPACT! (8PM - 10PM)


WWE RAW (9PM - 11PM)
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The Morning After 4/05/2010

The Morning After 4/05/2010

10:23 AM   Monday Night War, RAW, Streams, TNA, WWE,

For some reason, I had zero desire to watch wrestling last night. What I did see, I liked - see my thoughts on David Otunga, Lacey Von Erich and more in my re-cap down bottom...
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The Monday Night Wars Redux (4/05/2010)

The Monday Night Wars Redux (4/05/2010)

8:32 PM   Monday Night War, RAW, Streams, TNA, WWE,

TNA iMPACT! (8PM - 10PM)


Monday Night RAW (9PM - 11PM)
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The Morning After 3/29/2010

The Morning After 3/29/2010

9:20 AM   Monday Night War, RAW, TNA, WWE,

What is TNA thinking? Who knows. HBK made grown men cry. All this and more after the jump.
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The Monday Night Wars Redux (3/29/2010)

The Monday Night Wars Redux (3/29/2010)

8:54 PM   Monday Night War, RAW, Streams, TNA, WWE,

WWE Monday Night Raw


TNA iMPACT!
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The Monday Night Wars Redux (3/22/2010)

The Monday Night Wars Redux (3/22/2010)

8:45 PM   Monday Night War, RAW, Streams, TNA, WWE,

WWE Monday Night Raw


TNA iMPACT!
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The Morning After 3/15/2010

The Morning After 3/15/2010

7:39 AM   Monday Night War, RAW, TNA, WWE,

You ever been courting a beautiful female - bangin' body, great personality, etc. - and when it was time to get into the bedroom, the mood is right... but then something goes wrong? Rhythm's off, whatever the case may be? That's how last night's RAW was, to me...
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The Monday Night Wars Redux (3/15/2010)

The Monday Night Wars Redux (3/15/2010)

8:46 PM   Monday Night War, RAW, Streams, TNA, WWE,

WWE Monday Night RAW


TNA iMPACT!
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The Morning After 3/8/2010

The Morning After 3/8/2010

8:15 AM   Monday Night War, RAW, TNA, WWE,

I dug TNA more last night than WWE.

I wasn't thinking I'd be writing those words, but it's true. I had both streams going side-by-side, so all I had to do was mute and move my screen when I got bored - and RAW stayed on mute more than iMPACT! last night... but it's not because TNA did everything right.

In fact, some of their biggest draws ended up being booked awfully...

Take RVD for example. Say what you will about his condition and rust or whatever, but he has a good following online, and is bound to draw eyes. I was never big on RVD, but I get his appeal. So, what does TNA do? They book him in a match with a freshly-heel Sting... but have him squash Sting in like 30 seconds, no finishers? Only to have him then get beat DOWN with the ballbat for something like 10 minutes? Had me thinking that this was just a one-night thing... and it looks like Jericho agrees.

Or the whole "first five minutes" that ended up being a horrible-blading bloodbath from and Hogan & Flair, with Sting making his return to beat the fuck out of Hulk and Abyss. It looked awful, but was far more intriguing than the normal 10-15 minute promo RAW did, even if it was HBK/Taker building up their WM26 match. TNA, whether it's the TV-14 rating or just the air of surprise, ended up looking the victor for at LEAST the first hour.

Think about it - WWE booked HBK/Taker, then a 6-Diva tag match, that had Eve put over for a second week in a row? Followed by Criss Angel pulling strings in his eyes? Seriously? When the Legacy match finally came about, most eyes were hooked into TNA.

TNA had great X-Division build-ups - that three man match for the title was great. Funny how Shannon Moore's debut (minus the eyeliner all over his face) was far better looking than Jeff Hardy's run-in at the end. Pointless. The segment with Waltman slapping Eric Young (then getting beat) was cool, but wasn't too crazy.

RAW? They had Morrison and R-Truth on RAW - why? They are Smackdown, and only the Unified Tag Champs can go show to show! Waste of a segment. It was good to see finally get his - he had been getting the one-up on Rhodes and DiBiase for weeks now. The Cena/Vince match was confusing and ended just how you figured it would - Cena getting beat down. And the HHH/Sheamus build-up? Yawn.

TNA? You won, but it's because WWE squandered a lot of opportunities to bounce back from last week's drab showing. Next week, with Stone Cold hosting? And the Wrestlemania Rewind matches announced? Come on! TNA better come tougher...

RAW Results \ iMPACT Results Continue Reading

The Monday Night Wars Redux (3/08/2010)

The Monday Night Wars Redux (3/08/2010)

8:16 PM   Monday Night War, RAW, Streams, TNA, WWE,

WWE Monday Night RAW


TNA iMPACT!
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TNA Backstage With Dixie Carter & Hulk Hogan

TNA Backstage With Dixie Carter & Hulk Hogan

4:45 PM   Monday Night War, TNA, YouTube,

It looks like these were done right after their "big announcement":

Dixie Carter


Hulk Hogan
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TNA's Announcement (2/15/2010) Live-Blog

TNA's Announcement (2/15/2010) Live-Blog

3:00 PM   Monday Night War, Streams, TNA, YouTube,

It's President's Day, I don't have much to do, so why not live-blog this conference TNA will be holding, which we're told will officially announce moving TNA iMPACT to Mondays starting March 8th. Watch along with me, and I'll be dropping my thoughts below...

2:20PM: Remember their last press conference? It went from Hogan announcing things about his book to announcing his signing with TNA. You think we're in store for something like that?

2:24PM: What'd you think about Against All Odds last night? The Nasty Boys/Team 3D match (and the majority of the event) ws awful. Nasty Boy Knobbs was looking super-winded - did you count how many timeouts he was taking?

2:27PM: Well, to be honest, the only bright spots were Mr. Anderson and D'Angelo Dinero, both former WWE stars who work great on the mic and in the ring. I have a feeling neither of them will be holding the title anytime soon. Why? I don't know... something doesn't sit right with me INRE TNA right now...

2:28PM: Also, I guess it was due to now selling streams of their PPVs for $15 (and annoying paying customers with bad streams), but an abnormal amount of bootleg streams got merked last night. I mean, it's illegal, but it was hard to find a halfway decent stream last night. Just saying.

2:32PM: Maybe this is all a work. The TNA stream isn't online. I haven't heard anything being announced yet, but what the hell. Stay failing, why don't ya!

2:35PM: If this isn't working period, this is an example of their steady failing. Bring something good in, but then hinder it for Lord knows what reason. TNA in 2010 = WCW Thunder.

2:38PM: Well this awesome graphic is at least going.

2:40PM: OK so 10 minutes into the established time and the lagging stream is just a TNA graphic; looks like I'm not the only one confused.

2:45PM: So now Dixie is randomly thrown up, mid-sentence, giving us stats on the January 4th show. Yeah, we know you guys did well.

2:47PM: "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome the Pop-Icon, Hulk Hogan" (cue pseudo-nWo music).

2:48PM: They keep looking around, how many people are actually there?

2:49PM: I guess I missed Dixie announcing their move to Monday nights at 9PM starting March 8th. Do we need all of this?

2:51PM: Dixie says she sees iMPACT!'s move will be an on-going thing. Credits the fans for following them throughout the years with their timeslot moves. Makes sense.

2:52PM: Hogan says, as a wrestler, he'd rather go head-to-head with the competition (i.e. WWE). Let the fans decide, which is true. But if you compare RAW's content (which isn't A+ quality all the time) to iMPACT!, there's STILL no contest - TNA loses again.

2:55PM: OK so it looks like there are 7 reporters total in the room. This is awkward. And Dixie talks about additional programming outside of this being a possibility.

2:56PM: Hogan expects WWE will say or do nothing about this announcement, which makes sense. The talk of there being an option for fans is brought up, which I 100% agree with.

2:59PM: Gotta love how he talks about people being happy, with all of the dust being kicked up over how much money that the Knockouts receive...

3:00PM: So I've just lost another half hour of my life. Thanks, TNA!

EDIT To make this all worth your while, here's shots of WWE Diva Tiffany (aka Taryn Terell) from Playboy - yes, these are NSFW.

EDIT And here's the official press release.

FINAL EDIT Here's the full 18 minute announcement:

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The Morning After

The Morning After

8:44 AM   Monday Night War, TNA, WWE,

Some of my thoughts on last night's "Monday Night War" 2010; first, TNA:

• Val Venis? The Nasty Boys? Scott Hall? Orlando fucking Jordan!??! This is change? This is the sign of dominance?
• Why did last night's TNA feel like an episode of WCW Thunder? "OMG, who's in the limo!?" "OMG, he pulled out a baton!" "OMG, Hall and X-Pac are beating up Mick Foley!"
• Wasn't TNA just hyping up their roster of new talent, yet they gave their actual stars less TV time than they gave for Knobbs trying to get backstage, or Jeff Hardy sitting on cages, or Flair standing on the ramp.
• Why did they taint the excellence of the Angle/Styles match with that goon-filled beatdown at the end?

Ugh, crap. Now, onto WWE:

• I'm such a fan of Bret Hart, but he did look mad old. Almost felt bad for him. And where were The Hart Dynasty?
• Stu Hart to the Hall of Fame - wonder if Bret brokered that deal to help push him back onto WWE TV. What about Owen, though?
• Please kill Legacy and DX already, although I imagine they all stay friends pre-Rumble, then the pre-Wrestlemania storylines build post-Rumble.
• Kofi Kingston needs some help. Or a good manager.
• Randy Orton needs a new angle, and with someone of his caliber. He builds some of the better storylines.
• MVP is finally getting a program, for a title. Good show.
• I swore Vince was going to "Stone Cold Stun" Bret at the end of the show.

In closing, WWE wins because TNA lost. And they lost badly. They have good talent, but bringing in these old heads, from Hogan to Hall, just makes it really look like WCW-lite, to me anyways. Fix up and keep changing, not recycling. Hogan + Bischoff does not = quality sports entertainment. I love the excitement - I found myself switching between two streams last night, catching both shows, but I watched way more RAW, just because TNA was a clusterfuck of a program.

Wrestleview has re-caps of iMPACT! and RAW, and this piece from The Bleacher Report echoes my thoughts on the TNA debacle from last night.

EDIT And here are Jim Ross' thoughts. And Rosenberg's thoughts.

Continue Reading

Monday Night Wars Redux

Monday Night Wars Redux

9:16 AM   Hulkamania, Monday Night War, RAW, TNA, WTF, WWE,

So both Bischoff and Hogan tried to bullshit us, but with the latest TNA press release, it looks like their return to the American Professional Wrestling circuit will involve... RAW and iMPACT going head to head. Oh, what was that? You heard something? That was the sound of millions of Monday Night Wars veterans collectively yawning. Check the release:

HULKAMANIA IS COMING BACK TO MONDAY NIGHT ON “TNA iMPACT!” LIVE JANUARY 4 ON SPIKE TV

Hulk Hogan’s First Live Appearance On Spike TV’s “TNA iMPACT” Will Be In A Special 3-Hour Live Episode Monday, January 4 At 8:00 PM ET/PT

The biggest name in professional wrestling history, Hulk Hogan, will make his first live appearance on Total Nonstop Action (TNA) Wrestling’s “TNA iMPACT!” in a live 3-hour special on Spike TV Monday, January 4, 2010 at 8:00PM ET/PT. Hogan and TNA President Dixie Carter attended “The Ultimate Fighter Heavyweights” Finale in Las Vegas where Hogan made the announcement in an interview with Joe Rogan.

“TNA iMPACT!” will be going against “WWE Monday Raw” on USA Network, the first time two wrestling companies have broadcast live head-to-head since the “Monday Night Wars” in the late 1990’s between WWE and WCW. This “iMPACT!” special will broadcast live from the TNA iMPACT! Zone at Universal Studios in Orlando, Fl.

Hogan’s first appearance inside the six-sided ring of TNA Wrestling will follow weeks of speculation after Hogan and Carter announced their partnership on October 27 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Hogan has hinted in various media interviews that he’ll have multiple surprises in store for TNA Wrestling fans.

“I knew when I signed with TNA, that it would be important to make a statement with the first episode. Going head-to-head on January 4th, makes the statement loud and clear: Game on!” Hogan said.

“TNA is kicking off 2010 in the biggest way possible with the biggest name in the history of our sport. Hulk Hogan is a pop culture icon, and his arrival will change not only TNA, but the entire professional wrestling landscape. We’re firing that first shot,” Carter said.

Joining Hogan for the three-hour live “iMPACT!” will be TNA World Heavyweight Champion “The Phenomenal” AJ Styles, Olympic Gold Medalist Kurt Angle, Mick Foley, Kevin Nash, “The Samoan Submission Machine” Samoa Joe, “The Boss” Bobby Lashley and “The Blueprint” Matt Morgan.

“TNA iMPACT!” will resume its normal timeslot on Thursday, January 7th at 9:00 PM ET/PT with an encore viewing of the live “iMPACT!” special.

Who knows how often they will do this, but I'd hope TNA has a better show than their PPVs, or this will be ridiculous. And now, with WWE having advance notice, they will surely pull out the stops. The 2010 Royal Rumble isn't far from 1/4/2010, so they can build a massive three-hour show, with damn near 3 weeks lead time! Smart move lol.

Maybe Nash and Hogan will come out to the NWO theme music. Or maybe they will just come out like they truly are - old souls in a federation that's boasting of their young talents.

What do you think - will this help or hurt TNA?

EDIT Is Dixie Carter implying that this is only the first? Continue Reading